Grammar

莊周家貧，故往貸粟於監河侯。監河侯曰：“諾，我將得邑金，將貸子三百金，可乎？”莊周忿然作色曰：“周昨來，有中道而呼者，周顧視車轍中有鮒魚焉。周問之曰：“鮒魚來，子何為者邪？”對曰：“我東海之波臣也，君豈有斗升之水而活我哉？”周曰：“諾，我且南游吳越之王，激西江之水而迎子，可乎？”鮒魚忿然作色曰：“吾失我常與，我無所處，吾得斗升之水然活耳。君乃言此，曾不如早索我於枯魚之肆。”

Zhuāng Zhōu jiā pín, gù wǎng dài sù yú Jiān Hé hóu. Jiān Hé hóu yuē:  "Nuò, wǒ jiāng de yì jīn, jiāng dài zǐ sān bǎi jīn, kě hū?" Zhuāng Zhōu fèn rán zuò sè yuē:  "Zhōu zuó lái, yǒu zhōng dào ér hū zhě, Zhōu gù shì chē chè zhōng yǒu fù yú yān. Zhōu wèn zhī yuē:  "Fù yú lái, zǐ hé wéi zhě yē? " Duì yuē:  "Wǒ dōng hǎi zhī bō chén yě, jūn qǐ yǒu dòu shēng zhī shuǐ ér huó wǒ zāi? " Zhōu yuē:  "Nuò, wǒ qiě nán yóu Wú Yuè zhī wáng, jī xī jiāng zhī shuǐ ér yíng zǐ, kě hū?" Fù yú fèn rán zuò sè yuē:  "Wú shī wǒ cháng yǔ, wǒ wú suǒ chǔ, wú de dòu shēng zhī shuǐ rán huó ěr. Jūn nǎi yán cǐ, céng bù rú zǎo suǒ wǒ yú kū yú zhī sì. "

Preposition 於

• The proposition 於 can be used as 'from', 'at' or 'in' The prepositional phrase is similar to English.

貸粟於監河侯

to borrow millet from Magistrate Jian He

早索我於枯魚之肆

early find me in the shop of dried fish

Adverb 豈

• Adverb 豈 is used to form an rhetorical question. 君豈有斗升之水而活我哉？Is it so that you have some water to rescue me?

The difference between 吾 and 我 

• Both 吾 and 我 are first person pronouns meaning 'I' or 'me'. The difference is that '吾' is not used as an object in an affirmative sentence, while '我' can be in the subject and object position.

早索我於枯魚之肆

*早索吾於枯魚之肆